Eritrean Cycling Championship 2022: The Organization, the Intensity, the Sportsmanship, the Fans…What a Race!

The 2022 Eritrean Road Cycling Championship was conducted on 24 and 26 June in the capital Asmara, where tens of thousands of cycling fans swarmed the streets to watch the race. In addition to those who were in the streets for the race, the Eritrean national television, Eri-TV, also broadcast the championship live, where fans within the country and abroad watched. Nine Eritrean professional cyclists from differ¬ent clubs participated at the championship, many of whom were engaged in major world tour competitions this year with outstanding performances. Although Merhawi Kudus, the Olympian and professional cyclist from EF Education-EasyPost club, relinquished his time trial tittle to Biniam Girmay on 24 June, he came in stronger on Sunday’s Road Race and managed to finish the 172km race in a two-man breakaway and held-off the series of attacks from the peloton. Merhawi became 2022 national cycling champion after his breakaway companion, Natnael Tesfatsion, backed down in the sprint to mark his respect for Merhawi, who had done almost all the work in the wind. The following is a brief interview we conducted with Merhawi Kudus a few minutes after he became the champion.

• Congratulations Mera! You won the 2022 Eritrean Cycling Championship. This year’s championship was highly anticipated by many cycling fans because most of the Eritrean professional cyclists were amongst the line-up for the championship and most of them had a very good year in many major competitions around the world, while the local players have been preparing for this for a long time, so how does it feel to come out stronger?

Indeed, this is big and the feeling is amazing. The Eritrean Cycling Championship is definitely the biggest competition in our country and of course it has now become quite some time since the competition garnered continental and international attention. It was anticipated from the very beginning that it was going to be a tough competition and accordingly the 172km race was full of unrelenting attacks in every step of it. Hence, I am honored to be crowned the Eritrean Champion of 2022 after such a tough competition; it is unbelievable.

• You and Natnael Tesfatsion were in the two-man breakaway for almost 65% of the race. Don’t you think it was a risky move to make?

Well, that wasn’t the first time I made such a move. I used the same tactic in many of the races I competed. But indeed today’s breakaway was a bit longer and harder. At first Natnael Berhane was in the breakaway with us before he had an unfortunate flat tyre. At that time, we were not sure as to what our next move would be, whether to wait for him to catch up so as he could help us at the long breakaway or to keep on pedaling and maintain the gap we made. But the first choice of waiting for him was too risky because the gap between us and the chasing group was getting closer. That’s why we decided to keep going. I took charge of the hard work because Natnael was not feeling good. So I took the responsibility of keeping the pace for the rest of the race, and it was really hard to ride the rest of the race almost all by myself. Besides, in the final two laps I was not confident about my tyres but I kept on riding carefully anyways and we finally did it.

• What was your observation of the young local riders?

It was them who started attacking from the beginning of the race, and this is the greatest race of our country that has high intensity with a long distance riding of 172 kms. Even though most of them were young and they only participated in the local races, their performance was outstanding. This is a clear indication that the country has a lot of potential in cycling. On top of that, it’s an opportunity for them to gauge their performance and look forward for a breakthrough to international competitions.

• What impact will your victory at the national championship have in your current club’s position?

It’s a great thing. I have added another important stage win for my club and this in itself has its own value. In addition, Eritrean cyclists have clinched so many great victories at international races and I am grateful to be the champion of a country whose riders are amongst the big cycling names around the world.

• Ok Merhawi, who do you want to dedicate your victory to?

It is so hard to say, but I dedicated my previous victory to my mother for her unyielding support in all possible ways. And now I would like to dedicate this year’s victory to the Kudus family (my entire family) for they have always been on my side and giving me endless support.

• Is there anything else that you would like to say at the end?

First thanks be to God, we smoothly and safely finished the race. There wasn’t any accident everything was in order as always; and the fans were supportive. But it was also a great thing that the race was broadcast live through Eri-TV so that everybody could watch at every corner of the country and the world, and many people have been calling from abroad to congratulate me. But overall it’s a great honor for us, especially the professional cyclists for our nation’s media to give the a live coverage, it really makes us proud to talk about it with our international friends. This increases our moral energy to do better. So I would like to thank all members of the Ministry of Information who helped broadcast the event for such long hours, and all those who came out to the streets to cheer for us starting from daybreak.

• Thank for your time Mera and Congratulations once again.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Citeline and Norstella Unite to Offer Life Sciences Clients a Full Suite of Commercial and Clinical Solutions

The new organization will help life sciences companies improve strategic decision-making and accelerate the mission of smoothing access to therapy from pipeline to patient

Yardley, PA, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Norstella, an organization that helps life sciences companies navigate the complexities of the drug life cycle, and Citeline (formerly Pharma Intelligence)—a leading provider of specialist intelligence, data and software for clinical trials, drug development and regulatory compliance—have announced an agreement to merge the companies.

By uniting Norstella, which is comprised of four prominent pharmaceutical solutions providers—EvaluateMMITPanalgo and The Dedham Group—with Citeline, the combined company will be well positioned to help life sciences companies reach patients faster by providing clients with the intelligence and answers they need from early clinical development through to commercialization. This move reflects the shared goal of becoming an end-to-end solution provider, helping patients access life-saving therapies.

As life sciences companies drive innovation toward more specialized therapeutics across all disease areas including oncology and rare disease, and patient populations become more targeted, they need to make critical decisions about how to bring the right drugs to market, how to construct clinical trials leveraging the latest innovations in real-world data and data science—and with end points that consider future payer reimbursement decisions—and, ultimately, how to reach patients in need.

“Accelerating innovation and ensuring that every patient gets the therapy that they need is our North Star,” said Norstella CEO Mike Gallup. “By bringing clinical and commercial intelligence together—along with real-world data—the combined company will be well positioned to deliver on its mission.”

Together, Norstella and Citeline will play a critical role in helping pharmaceutical manufacturers plan for and overcome barriers to access, not just during clinical trials but at every stage in the drug development life cycle. Citeline’s solutions, including its portfolio of clinical trial products, provide insights that improve the speed and efficiency of clinical trials and reduce risk. Now, the Citeline solutions—along with MMIT’s PAR data and other complementary Norstella data assets—can be powered by Panalgo’s Instant Health Data Analytics platform to provide transformative answers that will improve workflow and decision-making and, ultimately, help products get to market and to patients quicker than ever before.

“At Citeline, our mission is to accelerate the connection of treatments to patients and patients to treatments. Ultimately, this marriage of commercial and clinical capabilities will advance the mission and enable the pharmaceutical C-suite to manage portfolio strategy like never before,” said Ramsey Hashem, CEO, and Jay Nadler, Executive Chair, of Citeline. “This includes deciding which drug to bring to market, what new indications to pursue for a drug and how to target patients for clinical trials more quickly and with reduced cost. And now, this includes understanding how to design clinical trials that yield the types of data that payers need to make appropriate reimbursement and formulary decisions.”

“It’s about making a difference in the lives of patients,” said Gallup. “This move will help us make our vision of a more innovative, accessible healthcare marketplace a reality.”

The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2022 subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

About Norstella
At Norstella, our mission is simple: to help patients gain access to life-saving therapies. Norstella consists of several prominent organizations—Evaluate, MMIT, Panalgo and The Dedham Group—that have united to offer a full range of pharmaceutical consultancy services and solutions. As one organization, Norstella provides life sciences clients with the right tools and expertise to navigate complexities at each step of the drug development life cycle, from pipeline to patient. For more information, visit Norstella and follow on LinkedIn.

About Citeline
Citeline (formerly Pharma Intelligence) powers a full suite of complementary business intelligence offerings to meet the evolving needs of health science professionals to accelerate the connection of treatments to patients and patients to treatments. These patient-focused solutions and services deliver and analyze data used to drive clinical, commercial, and regulatory related-decisions and create real-world opportunities for growth.

Our global teams of analysts, journalists and consultants keep their fingers on the pulse of the pharmaceutical, biomedical and medtech industries, covering it all with expert insights: key diseases, clinical trials, drug R&D and approvals, market forecasts and more. For more information on one of the world’s most trusted health science partners, visit Citeline.

Melody Udell
Norstella
312-618-5968
melody.udell@norstella.com

Blair Dawson
Citeline
919-413-4616
blair.dawson@informa.com

Seegene develops PCR test to detect monkeypox virus

  • Assay targets monkeypox virus and can deliver results in 90 minutes
  • Company swiftly rolls out product using its automated assay development system
  • “Seegene will strive to make accurate tests for emerging viruses to help prevent future pandemics”

SEOUL, South Korea, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Seegene Inc. (KQ965390), South Korea’s leading molecular diagnostics (MDx) company has developed a PCR test to detect the monkeypox virus. The Novaplex™ MPXV Assay, which specifically targets the monkeypox virus, was swiftly developed using the company’s AI-based automated test development system, known as SGDDS (Seegene Digitalized Development System), and technologies refined over 20 years of MDx expertise.

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The World Health Organization says the monkeypox virus is an “evolving health threat that requires collective attention and coordinated action,” calling on member states to step up surveillance, contact tracing and testing. The monkeypox virus has been detected in over 50 nations, with South Korea confirming its first case last week. The strain currently circulating in the Northern Hemisphere has an estimated fatality rate of between 3-6 percent and is considered especially dangerous for children and those with weak immune systems.

As with many infectious diseases, accurate diagnosis is crucial as treatments are more effective in the early stages of infection. This makes timely PCR testing vital, especially for individuals with a suspected case, as the incubation period for the monkeypox infection ranges between five to 21 days.

The Novaplex™ MPXV Assay can identify positive cases of the monkeypox virus in 90 minutes. The company swiftly developed the product to help curb the worldwide spread. Seegene plans to provide the assays to countries that have detected the virus.

“The monkeypox virus outbreak shows that endemic viruses can rapidly spread to the rest of the world and it’s a warning that new pandemics can emerge and threaten our lives at any time,” said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, CEO of Seegene. “We will continue our efforts to develop products that can accurately diagnose any virus to help prevent new infectious diseases from taking hold and becoming a pandemic.”

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1357790/Seegene_logo_Logo.jpg

The U.N. children’s fund says more than 266,000 violations were committed against children in armed conflict between 2005 and 2020. An analysis of more than 30 conflicts across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America finds children continue to bear the brunt of war and are forced to endure what it calls unspeakable horrors. Authors of a report on the subject say the figure in the report represents just a fraction of the violations believed to have occurred and does not reflect the magnitude of the crimes committed against children caught in conflict. Tasha Gill is UNICEF’s senior adviser, Child Protection in Emergencies. She says children are victims of a staggering average of 71 verified grave violations every day. She says the report documents the killing and maiming of more than 104,000 children in conflict. “Between 2016 and 2020, 82 percent of all verified child casualties occurred in only five situations: Afghanistan, Israel and the State of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. It is also important to note that many children experience more than one violation, increasing their vulnerability,” Gill said. She notes abduction often leads to other violations, such as recruitment and sexual violence. The report has verified at least 25,700 child abductions by parties to conflict and more than 93,000 children recruited as soldiers by all parties to conflict. Additionally, the report says children have been raped, forcibly married and sexually exploited, with at least 14,200 children also having been subjected to other forms of sexual violence. Gill calls sexual violence against children the most underreported of all violations. “Sexual violence does occur against children. It is used as a tactic of war. It is one of the lowest numbers because of the access issue but also the stigma and fear attached to reporting in conflicts across the board … Children are often used for many different reasons, which can be considered deliberate targeting. Our request is that all parties immediately cease and desist from using children in armed conflict,” Gill said. She notes children are recruited as soldiers, and many also are used by the warring parties as porters, sexual slaves, and messengers. She says the violations must stop. UNICEF is calling on parties to conflict and states to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and implement concrete measures to protect children. Agency officials say they have met with success in preventing some violations against children and putting a stop to others by engaging with those responsible for the violations. For example, over the past two decades they say at least 170,000 children have been released from armed forces and armed groups. Source: Voice of America

Villagers in a western Cameroon town bordering Nigeria say armed men carried out a series of attacks from June 25 to 27, killing at least 30 people, including five Nigerians, and forcing hundreds to flee.

Community leaders in the town of Akwaya say one of two communities fighting over land hired separatist fighters to carry out the shootings, which the rebels deny.

Enow Daniel Kewong, the highest-ranking government health official in Akwaya, spoke to VOA via a messaging application.

“Since the incident was very horrific, we never had the courage to go to the field, so the injured were actually transported by relatives and villagers to the Presbyterian Health Center where we attended to them,” he said. “Most of the people that were brought had severe head injuries, chest injuries, while few had minor injuries. The severe injuries, we tried to stabilize them and referred them to neighboring Nigeria for continuation of care.”

Cameroon Presbyterian Church official Samuel Fonki said an unknown number of the injured died while being evacuated to Nigeria.

VOA could not independently verify if any injured from the attack arrived at Nigerian hospitals.

Fonki said the ethnic Oliti accused the Messaga Ekol people of hiring rebel fighters to carry out the attacks to try to force them from their land.

Separatists deny they were responsible for the Akwaya killings and blamed unnamed armed groups operating across the border.

Fonki said he was trying to organize peace talks between the communities to end the violence when the weekend attacks occurred.

“We were planning on how we can have peace talks to end the matter and then this unfortunate incident took place where 30 people including children, women, young girls, men and the old were massacred with support from some armed men. Some were even burned in their houses,” he said. “We want to plead that the government should put a very strong military base in Akwaya since that area is also near Nigeria.”

Cameroon’s government said troops have been deployed to protect civilians in Akwaya but gave no further details.

The intercommunal violence along the Nigerian border first broke out in April, when villagers say at least seven people were killed and plantations were destroyed.

Local clerics, community leaders and village chiefs called a meeting to seek a solution to the conflict, but the disputing sides refused to attend.

The allegation of rebels being hired guns will likely complicate peace efforts.

English-speaking separatists in western Cameroon launched an armed rebellion in 2017 to break away from the country and its French-speaking majority.

The government has blamed them for most atrocities committed in Cameroon’s English-speaking western regions, while the rebels usually blame federal troops.

The U.N. says the conflict has killed more than 3,300 people and displaced more than 750,000.

 

 

 

Source: Voice of America

Lone Referral Hospital in Ethiopia’s Afar Region Struggles as Malnutrition Soars

Record-breaking drought in Ethiopia has caused child malnutrition rates to soar in the northern Afar region, where the only referral hospital says babies are dying within hours of arrival. Ethiopia’s war with Tigrayan forces has left less than 10 percent of the region’s clinics functioning and hospitals struggling to cope.

Doctors at the hospital in Afar say they have admitted 369 severely malnourished children in the past three months.

With only two pediatricians serving an area of more than 1 million people, Dubti General Hospital is overwhelmed with weak children and desperate mothers.

Aina Kadr’s 1-year-old son has been on therapeutic feeding for two weeks.

“When we came here, he wasn’t eating food or drinking water,” she said. “We were afraid he would die.”

The worst drought in the Horn of Africa in four decades has left millions of Ethiopians facing hunger and malnutrition. The U.N. says Afar’s rate of admitted malnourished children jumped by 30 percent in March and then another 28 percent in April.

The acting head of Dubti General Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Yusuf, said they’ve gone from admitting five children per month to five per day.

“They come after the patient deteriorates. So, most of the patients die in our setup after arrival within two to three hours because they are already complicated. Since malnutrition is not the only problem. It’s accompanied with other complications, like pneumonia, anemia, diarrhea,” Yusuf said.

Ethiopian authorities say the war with Tigrayan forces left Afar’s clinics looted and destroyed, with less than 10 percent functioning.

That has forced even more people to seek care at hospitals like Dubti’s, where patients —many of them children — spill into the hallways and porches.

Amina Adam Ibrahim has been at the hospital with her sick baby for over two weeks.

“He’s coughing. He has a high fever, and he cannot eat food,” she said. “We do not know what’s wrong with him.”

Michel Saad, head of the U.N.’s humanitarian office in Ethiopia, said there’s a struggle to meet health care needs.

“There’s a need to either rehabilitate other health centers somewhere else within Afar or to create new ones even if momentarily,” Saad said. “So, this is something that we are trying to work on. I can tell you, unfortunately, it’s not as fast as we would like to, but it’s definitely on the radar, and we are following up on this.”

Meanwhile, Yusuf said some staff have given up and abandoned the hospital, making it even harder for remaining health workers to cope.

 

 

Source: Voice of America

Hitachi Energy and Petrofac to collaborate in growing offshore wind market

Collaboration combines complementary technologies and expertise of both companies to increase customer value and help accelerate the energy transition

Zurich, Switzerland, June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy a market and technology leader in transmission, distribution and grid automation solutions, and Petrofac, a leading international service provider to the energy industry, have entered into a collaboration to provide grid integration and associated infrastructure to support the rapidly growing offshore wind market.

This collaboration builds on the complementary core technologies and expertise of both companies in offshore wind to support the decarbonization of power systems and deliver clean energy. It covers high-voltage direct current (HVDC), as well as high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) solutions.

Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light® and modular HVAC grid technologies and solutions and Petrofac’s world-class engineering, procurement, construction and installation capabilities for offshore platforms and offshore and onshore civil works, will bring considerable benefits to the efficient implementation of offshore wind projects and help accelerate the energy transition.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Petrofac to help meet the growing need for large-scale offshore wind generation and deliver clean renewable electricity to consumers. As leaders in our respective fields, this collaboration will create added value for our customers and help accelerate the energy transition,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “Our HVDC and HVAC solutions are key enablers of the transition to a global energy system that is more sustainable, flexible and secure.”

“Offshore wind plays a crucial role in the transition to clean, affordable energy and we’ve been successfully delivering major projects in the sector for more than a decade now,” said Elie Lahoud, Chief Operating Officer, Engineering & Construction of Petrofac. “Hitachi Energy is well known for its long track record in providing innovative technologies and solutions across the power grid value chain. We look forward to bringing our industry-leading experience and deep domain knowledge together, to benefit our customers and power millions more homes using renewable energy.”

Recent Hitachi Energy HVDC offshore wind projects include Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm off the UK coast, and four of the DolWin and BorWin HVDC hubs that connect multiple wind farms in the North Sea to the German power grid.

Hitachi Energy is also a global leading supplier of grid connection solutions for the AC offshore wind farms industry.

Editor’s notes

Offshore wind is undergoing unprecedented growth globally. In 2021, a record 15.7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity were added, compared to around 5.2 GW per year in 2020 and 2019, according to World Forum Offshore Wind.1

Hitachi Energy pioneered HVDC almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects and more than 70 percent of the world’s voltage source converter (HVDC Light) installations. HVDC Light is the technology of choice for transferring power over long distances from offshore wind farms to the mainland grid. Its defining features include uniquely compact converter stations (which is extremely important in space-critical applications like offshore wind platforms), exceptionally low electrical losses of less than 1 percent, and black-start capability to restore power after a grid outage.

  1. https://wfo-global.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/WFO_Global-Offshore-Wind-Report-2021.pdf

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 38,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of approximately $10 billion USD.

https://www.hitachienergy.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy

https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems & Services, Green Energy & Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy Ltd.
jocelyn.chang@hitachienergy.com

Cloudbeds Acquires Whistle, Moves to Solve Friction in Guest Journey

No. 1 PMS and No. 1 guest messaging platform join forces to integrate guest engagement solutions seamlessly into day-to-day lodging business operations

Cloudbeds Acquires Whistle

No. 1 PMS and No. 1 guest messaging platform join forces to integrate guest engagement solutions seamlessly into day-to-day lodging business operations

SAN DIEGO, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cloudbeds, the hospitality management platform powering more reservations and happier guests for lodging businesses around the globe, announced today at HITEC 2022 the acquisition of the industry’s leading guest engagement solution, Whistle. Together, the companies will integrate their best-in-class technologies to remove friction points in the guest journey through a single platform.

“The term contactless is becoming far too synonymous with hospitality,” said Richard Castle, COO and Co-Founder of Cloudbeds. “We want more contact between lodging businesses and their guests to create purposeful touchpoints, answer questions and provide guidance through the entire guest journey. Research shows that engaged guests spend more, leave better reviews and the majority prefer to communicate via digital channels — Whistle makes it all possible. Whether it’s a booking engine chat or front desk text request, Whistle positions Cloudbeds customers to be a part of the guest journey from discovery to post-stay, removing barriers that might hinder a booking or positive review.”

Whistle leads the industry in guest engagement with unified communication tools, digitized arrival experiences and more. Current customers include major hospitality brands and hoteliers around the world, including Choice Hotels, Accor, IHG and Four Sisters Inns, among others. Founded in 2015, the company has been rated the no. 1 guest messaging software by Hotel Tech Report for five consecutive years.

Whistle will play an important role in the company’s vision for creating a fully frictionless solution that enables guests to engage with lodging businesses on their own terms. Simultaneously, it will give lodging businesses a unified platform to more efficiently manage points of contact throughout the entire guest journey.

“Our goal has always been to give lodging businesses a unique, easy-to-use solution that simplifies and streamlines the way they communicate,” said Christopher Hovanessian, CEO and Co-Founder of Whistle. “Cloudbeds has a clear vision for building a better, more frictionless hospitality experience via a unified platform. Together, we can make a greater impact on the industry that benefits not only the guest, but also the property staff and the lodging business itself.”

Following its Series D funding announcement in November, Cloudbeds has doubled down on its commitment to “more reservations, happier guests” with three acquisitions and the introduction of several new product offerings to address major pain points for both operators and guests. Driven by an aggressive product roadmap, the company has nearly tripled in size over the past year, with more solutions set to roll out in Q3 designed to help hoteliers grow their businesses.

For more information, visit cloudbeds.com/whistle.

Cloudbeds will share further details about the acquisition at HITEC 2022 in Orlando, during a press event at 1:30 p.m. ET in Booth # 1701 on Tuesday, June 28.

About Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds provides the platform that powers hospitality, driving streamlined operations, increasing reservations and revenue, and enabling memorable guest experiences for lodging businesses of all sizes and types across the globe. The award-winning Cloudbeds Hospitality Platform seamlessly combines solutions for front desk, revenue, distribution, guest acquisition, and guest engagement in a single unified system, enhanced by a marketplace of third-party integrations. Cloudbeds was named No. 1 PMS and No. 1 Hotel Management System by Hotel Tech Report in 2022 and recognized by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 in 2021. For more information, visit www.cloudbeds.com.

Contact:
Angela Petersen
angela.petersen@cloudbeds.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea0d94df-2649-42d8-8e49-c59efe9665e5